Check out this air fryer fried shrimp recipe.
Crispy coated shrimp that is air fried to crispy deliciousness.
Dip in some sauce, or eat it plain.
This crispy fried shrimp is so tasty and crazy easy to make.
Our air fryer has been a game-changer.
Food gets on the table quicker between this small appliance and our pressure cooker.
There are so many great benefits to having an air fryer, and I highly recommend having one.
Frozen shrimp in the air fryer is one of my go-to methods. You thaw your shrimp, then prep and cook.
It is a great way to get the best flavor out of your pre-frozen shrimp—no need for fresh shrimp for this recipe.
Other recipes to make in the air fryer:
Air Fryer Indian Spiced Chicken Wings
What You Will Need
Shrimp. Frozen or fresh shrimp works for this recipe. I recommend that you thaw your frozen shrimp. If you don’t, your breading will not stick to the shrimp the way you want.
Panko Bread Crumbs. I opted for seasoned bread crumbs, but you could use pork rinds to lower the carbs in the recipe if you prefer. The Seasoned Panko Bread Crumbs work perfectly for this recipe. You can also use regular Panko Bread Crumbs or Italian Panko Bread Crumbs as well!
Flour and Seasonings. All-purpose flour, Old Bay Seasoning, Garlic will give you flavor. The cornstarch helps to provide that fluffy texture you want with battered shrimp.
Egg Wash. Water and egg mix together for an egg wash to keep the flour breading stick to your shrimp.
How to Devein Shrimp
Deveining shrimp is easy, and you can easily do it yourself.
Take a pairing knife and run a slit down the back where you see the vein; aim to cut on the side.
Then you will take a toothpick or even a wooden skewer, place it on the vein, and gently lift it.
It should pull the vein right out.
Just place the vein on a paper towel and repeat the process till all the shrimp are done.
Do you have to rinse shrimp before cooking?
I do recommend rinsing shrimp before you go to cook it. Just place in a colander and run cold water onto the shrimp.
This will help to remove any debris left on the shrimp. Shake off excess water, then move on to cooking.
Can you eat tails on shrimp?
Shrimp can be eaten with the tails on, but most of the time, people pull them off.
It is a personal preference on what you would prefer to do with the tails. However, leaving the tail on the shrimp makes it easier to put the batter on and cook them.
When fried, the shrimp tails are extra crispy, so they chew right up.
Tips For Making Air Fryer Battered Shrimp
- Make sure to mix the dry ingredients well for an even flavoring of your shrimp.
- If you use frozen shrimp, thaw first, or the batter won’t stick.
- Spritz the shrimp with a cooking spray to help give your shrimp that golden brown color.
- Make sure to batch cook your shrimp so you don’t get undercooked areas where the shrimp would touch each other.
- Crispy battered shrimp is best served fresh, so I recommend making what you plan to eat.
- The shrimp are best eaten right away! If you have to, you can store them in the fridge for no more than a day and reheat them using the oven, but they will not be as good as when they first came out of the Air Fryer. The breading won’t be quite as crisp!
Air Fryer Fried Shrimp
Yield: 20-25 Shrimp
Time: 25 Minutes
- 1.5 – 2 lb bag Frozen XL Peeled Uncooked Shrimp (Thawed)
- 2 cups Seasoned Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- ½ tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups of water
What type of air fryer works best?
You can use any brand of air fryer for this recipe.
We’re using the Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill with Air Fryer, but these directions will work with any air fryer!
Directions on making frozen shrimp in the air fryer:
- Start by preparing the shrimp. Make sure they are thawed and peeled.
- Wash them and pat them dry. Set aside.
- Preheat Air Fryer to 375 degrees.
- Put the Panko Bread Crumbs in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, Old Bay, garlic powder, and cornstarch.
- Next, add the egg and water to the bowl.
- Whisk until it’s all thoroughly combined. You should have a thick, wet batter.
- Holding the shrimp by the tail, dip each shrimp individually into the batter once. Let any excess batter drip off into the bowl.
- Then dip the shrimp into the Panko Crumbs, ensuring every spot is covered except for the tail!
- Place shrimp in the Air Fryer basket. I am spacing them out just enough so that they aren’t touching.
- Place basket in Air Fryer. Close. Set time for about 6-8 minutes. Shrimp do not take long to cook. When the coating is golden brown and crispy, that’s when they’re ready!
- Repeat until you’ve cooked all shrimp.
Can You Freeze Leftover Shrimp
Let the shrimp fully cool once it is done being air fried. Then place any shrimp you don’t plan to eat in a freezer bag.
Freeze for 2-3 months. When you want to eat some shrimp, reheat it in the air fryer or oven.
You will cook until it is thoroughly warmed.
The one thing about shrimp being reheated is it can become a bit rubbery in texture, but it will still taste great.
What size shrimp should I use for this Air Fryer Fried Shrimp recipe?
We use XL-size shrimp for this recipe since they tend to shrink while cooking.
Since we’re cooking by weight, you should have about 20-28 shrimp, depending on the pounds.
This will be enough for the batter produced with this recipe. If you have leftover batter, be sure to toss it out.
Want to customize this a little?
Try adding your favorite seasonings to the flour mixture!
Onion Powder, Smoked Paprika, Dried Green Onion, and Cajun Seasoning are all great additions.
Just add a ½ tsp or so.
I recommend making sure you have dipping sauces and sides (fries, etc.) ready to go before you air fry the shrimp!
More recipes to try below:
Cauliflower Rice Stir-Fry With Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1.5 – 2 lb bag Frozen XL Peeled Uncooked Shrimp Thawed
- 2 cups Seasoned Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- ½ tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups of water
Instructions
- Start by preparing the shrimp. Make sure they are thawed and peeled.
- Wash them and pat them dry. Set aside.
- Preheat Air Fryer to 375 degrees.
- Put the Panko Bread Crumbs in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, Old Bay, garlic powder, and cornstarch.
- Next, add the egg and water to the bowl.
- Whisk until it’s all thoroughly combined. You should have a thick, wet batter.
- Holding the shrimp by the tail, dip each shrimp individually into the batter once. Let any excess batter drip off into the bowl.
- Then dip the shrimp into the Panko Crumbs, ensuring every spot is covered except for the tail!
- Place shrimp in Air Fryer basket. I am spacing them out just enough so that they aren’t touching.
- Place basket in Air Fryer. Close. Set time for about 6-8 minutes. Shrimp do not take long to cook. When the coating is golden brown and crispy, that’s when they’re ready!
- Repeat until you’ve cooked all shrimp.
Winston F Reed says
Obviously you left out dipping the shrimp in the flour mixture before the batter followed by crumbs.
Poor recipe!
T Worthey says
Hi Winston, thanks for stopping by.
The steps in the recipe are correct as:
The flour is IN the batter- there is only one wet mixture.
Holding the shrimp by the tail, dip each shrimp individually into the batter once. Let any excess batter drip off into the bowl.
Then dip the shrimp into the Panko Crumbs.